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Since he began lifting weights nearly 40 years ago, Pete has excelled in many competitions, competing in the British Paralympics squad in the 1990s and taking on able-bodied opponents in bench pressing contests since then. He won the World Bench Press Championship seven years ago.

Pete pulling the truck

The new World’s Strongest Disabled Man competition, which took place this month at the Olympic Park in London, saw weightlifters from Britain, Australia, North America and Europe dragging lorries, lifting concrete balls and holding hammers until their arms give in.

Pete, who works for Phil Holden Fastners in Broughton Astley, said: “At 53 I was the oldest competitor in the competition. But age is nothing to me and my overall strength is better than it’s ever been.

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“I went to the strongest disabled man contest in Germany recently and I managed to come third in my category at that contest.

“It was great to win my category at the competition in London.”

The competition had three categories – disabled people with the full use of their legs, people who have to compete seated and those with cerebral palsy and spina bifida, which was Pete’s category.

The bench press

The first event in London involved sitting on the ground and pulling a truck. After that they competitors had to shoulder as many 100kg weights in 90 seconds as possible and then transport 45kg sandbags in their wheelchairs and lift them onto a barrel.

Next up was the tough hammer lifting competition.

Pete said: “It’s called the front hold and you have a big Thor-style hammer that weights 15kg and you have to hold it out in front of you, dead straight.

“It’s absolute murder.

“All I wanted to do was wait for the others to drop theirs and it was a long wait.

“But I managed to win that one.”

Lifting the giant Atlas stones

The final feat of strength was the Atlas stones, which involved the competitors lifting concrete balls onto their shoulders, starting with 40kg and working their way up to 100kg.

The competition, which began in Iceland in 2002, this year featured 27 men and four women from Britain, Norway, the USA, Australia, Sweden and Iceland.

For more information, search Facebook for “World’s Strongest Disabled Man”.